Silent Killer

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One of the biggest components of the  US Healthcare costs is kidney failure.  About 1/9 of Americans (26 million) suffer from chronic kidney disease.  $ 40 billion a year in costs.  Almost 400,000 of Americans undergo dialysis thrice weekly.

ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) can also result from hypertension and diabetes.   And, both of the these diseases are greatly augmented by our propensity to be overweight.  Which also means that lowering our girth lowers our chances to end up in the ESRD pool.

But, not all of the folks with ESRD are overweight.  There’s a genetic component to this issue as well.  And, that’s why African Americans are 3.5 times as likely to encounter kidney disease, when compared to Whites.  Comprising 11% of the American population, African Americans constitute about 32% of patients undergoing dialysis.

Even with the genetic component, reducing one’s weight, eating properly, and controlling hypertension (either naturally or via drug regimen) are critical issues to stave off the need for dialysis.  Hypertension (high blood pressure) damages the vessels within the kidneys.  Diabetes leads to high blood sugar levels, which causes the kidneys to work overtime (trying to remove the excess levels), leading to their eventual failure.

When one’s kidney’s fail, toxins begin accumulating in the body and excess water is not properly removed.  Once kidney function drops to 15%, the patient is considered to be a candidate for dialysis.

Not everyone with ESRD undergoes dialysis.  Some of the lucky few receive transplants.  But, there is a severe shortage of organs.  Right now there are about 100,000 folks on the list to receive a transplant.   And, there are less than 20,000 transplant operations annually, with almost 2/3 of them provided by deceased donors (and the rest from living donors).   But, living donors have to be healthy- or the kidney they donate may be the one they need themselves, later.

Because so many people have no clue about this silent killer, Ron Minor, an NBC employee, started his own company (Fine Line Productions East)  to make a documentary to educate the population.  It’s aptly called “I don’t know”.  Maybe, he can help educate us, reducing our chances to fall prey to the ESRD syndrome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV67dZe9yU8&feature=player_embedded#!
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23 thoughts on “Silent Killer”

  1. Thanks for the information. I don’t understand why organ donation is hard for people to grasp. If you are dead you don’t need your organs anymore. Help someone else who is alive and can benefit from them.
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  2. Hey Dr

    Nice post not only in America I am from Pakistan and also it’s common issue here 5-10% people are hardly faced dialysis problem and I don’t think it’s because of blood pressure or any thing else my aunty was recently died with Kidney failure and I know how much harmful process it.
    Rizwan Sultan recently posted..Irritable Bowel Blog

    1. Diabetes is supposedly the cause of 40% of the CRF in Pakistan, Rizwan. Which means diet can be an important component of the preventive measures. The incidence is low in Pakistan (about 0.01% or 1 in 10,000); let’s hope obesity doesn’t become as rampant there!

      Roy

  3. I love to eat, I eat when I am nervous, I eat chocolate when I am upset or just plain old hungry, I eat all day long. I don’t want carrots or celery when I eat because I can chew them forever before I can swallow them and I’d just as soon chew on straw. I am just like most of the US populations, over weight, under exercised and getting old fast. I don’t see a simple fix for a lifetime of bad habits. Any suggestions, Roy?
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    1. Yes, and the stats are available for various countries, too. We (US) are the winners in the obesity category (not sure that’s a win)- which leads to diabetes, which leads to ESRD. Or, a parallel path- obesity- hypertension- ESRD…. England is not far behind…

      Thanks for the visit and the scared reaction :-(, Ruth

  4. I wonder if there is any connection in the amount of soda someone consumes. Yes, full sugar soda contributes to obesity and the diabetic issue, but I’m thinking the “safe” chemicals we sweeten our diet drinks with. Personally, I’m a water and tea (unsweetened) girl, unless I’m ill and then I sip 7-up. But perhaps in conjunction with other things it makes the kidney issues worse. Ultimately, kidney failure is what killed my husband, it was brought on by cancer (because we all know that most cancer patients don’t die of cancer- they die of some other failure due to the treatments, cancer, etc. etc.) Not that it would have made a difference for him, but he was a major diet soda junkie. I’ve often wondered if some how those artificial sweet chemicals, while maybe they don’t do anything on their own, perhaps they weaken the kidneys or interact with other chemicals to damage them. I know, it’s all just the ramblings of a lunatic, and it isn’t as if we don’t do other things that harm our kidneys, so it is probably a tempest in a tea pot….but welcome to how I think, again. Great post Dr. A your one of my fave bloggers ever. I finally read/listened to your bio the other day and let me say, that the fact that you read anything I write (my posts included) kind of blows me away. I kind of feel like rain man talking to Einstein.. 😉 Thank you for your post and friendship!

    1. Lisa-
      We know that carbonated beverages are not the best for our intestines. And, they are acidic (some of them strong enough to remove rust from iron or to shine dingy objects). And, they have a variety of compounds. (Back when we “reused” bottles, we proved that a certain pop had more chlorinated organics present within it than a product that used superchlorination to treat waste!)
      It’s why I stopped drinking pop 13 years ago- and I drank 4 or 5 TWO liter bottles a day (or G-d knows how many cans of the stuff)…

      Roy

  5. Oh gosh Roy this brought back memories of my cousin. He died 3 years ago when he traveled to Bali, Indonesia. When he arrived in Bali he didn’t say anything, but he was sick then. He collapsed and was rushed to a hospital there, but died the next day. If he were only here in the U.S. he might have had a fighting chance.

    So glad that you share information like this so other know how important this disease is to take care of.
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  6. Hi Roy,

    This reminded me of my friend who just died 3 months ago because of kidney failure. The numbers are already alarming to the world but I still wonder why there are still huge number of cases of illegal selling/trading of kidneys.

    – Blake

    1. Not very surprising, Blake, to me. There is a dearth of available organs and a plethora of patients literally dying for one…
      That certainly means there is room for criminal activity and lucrative gains, if one eludes capture…

      Roy

  7. There is SO much data coming in about the connection between obesity and chronic and life threatening illnesses. Education is just one step…the stumbling block seems to be implementation of strategies to change the behaviors to a path to well being. How many more statistics and how much more evidence to people need before fast food restaurants close down due to lack of clients and exercise programs are over-filled? Thanks for adding to the conversation that to increase quality of life in North America, it is time, not simply for education, but for change.
    Tambre Leighn/coaching by tambre recently posted..Taking Stock

    1. Absolutely correct, Tambre!
      I know of certain people (for both health and medical reasons) that elected to employ those diets that provide the food for just that reason. The problem with those diets, in my mind, is what happens when one then needs to begin cooking for oneself.

      Roy

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